The present invention concerns cable transport installations such as trams, funicular railways or shuttles. There exist self-propelled systems, such as trains that are propelled by linear or non-linear electric motors or diesel engines, and cable traction systems.
This type of installation includes cars or wagons that necessitate traction means and support means to guide them. Guidance is most often achieved by two rails on which the car, which is equipped with wheels, travels. These rails provide guidance via two wheels. Depending on the system used, each rail is in contact with either one wheel or two wheels. Either each wheel rolls on a rail or the two wheels roll on either side of the same rail.
Traction is provided by one or more cables, each cable forming a closed loop running in the same direction or alternately in one direction and then the other, depending on the system used.
The car or wagon is connected to the cable either in a fixed manner or in a removable manner. When the car is connected to the cable in a fixed manner, the cable runs in a first direction to move the car from one terminal to the other and then in the opposite direction for the return journey. When the car is connected in a removable manner, as described in European patent EP 611 220, a fixing clamp enables the changeover from one cable to the other and thus changing cable either at the end of the line or mid-route in the case of so-called “long loop” systems in which there is a plurality of successive cables along the route, these changeovers constituting relays along the route, as it were.
These various systems lead to large infrastructures for guiding the cars and attempts have been made to reduce their overall size by using single-track systems. These systems necessitate the creation of passing areas, also known as “bypasses”, so that at least two cars can travel at the same time. These passing areas are usually located at station stops.
However, these systems can necessitate complex switches to enable the cars to enter each passing area. When each wheel travels on its own rail, the switch must include two mobile rails to direct the wheels of each car and the switch is then heavy to manipulate and bulky.
Another system has been developed that consists in placing an auxiliary rail at the entry to the passing area; said rail is located on the outside to guide the outside wheel of the car from one side to the other, the inside wheel being temporarily unguided as far as the entry to the station.
If the car is guided by only one rail, the route comprises two rails each dedicated either to the outward journey or to the return journey, the car changing rail at the end of its route (at the termini).
The drawback of these types of systems is that they necessitate at least one continuous lateral wall over the whole of the route of the car in order to place the guide rail or rails thereon, which leads to a greater overall size. The space available for installing these transport systems can be limited if they must be inserted into existing streets and enable circulation of other vehicles and pedestrians.